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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23671255">(star)shower</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekrateholic/pseuds/neverwhere'>neverwhere (nekrateholic)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>VIXX</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>M/M, hbd hongbin 2k18: a failed birthday project</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 01:28:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,436</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23671255</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekrateholic/pseuds/neverwhere</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hongbin hates Valentine's Day with all the passion a single man in his twenties can have.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Hongbin/Lee Jaehwan | Ken</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>(star)shower</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this used to be part of a hongbin birthday project. which i guess is not getting finished, so have some hongbin love</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Hongbin hates Valentine's Day with all the passion a single man in his twenties can have. He begged the day off of his job at the bookstore - thank god he didn't work in a bakery or something. Poor staff is probably drowning in shitty hearts each year.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He's not entirely sure why he's even out. The couples are</span>
  <em>
    <span> everywhere.</span>
  </em>
  <span> All he wanted was to enjoy a nice cup of coffee in the sun for once in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You look grumpy," someone says, sliding into the seat across from Hongbin. It's a man and he has possibly the prettiest smile Hongbin has ever seen and -</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hongbin narrows his eyes. "Do I know you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nope," the man grins, twirling the straw of something that, frankly, looks like a cup of diabetes. "But you seem like the kind of grumpy anti-valentiner I'd like to spend my day with." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And you’re creepy, the rational part of Hongbin’s brain supplies. The irrational part, on the other hand, has no qualms about admitting there's something awfully intriguing about this person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm Jaehwan, by the way."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hongbin," Hongbin replies on instinct. Then, "What makes you think I want to spend the day with you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehwan leans over the table, so close that Hongbin can feel the breath on his ear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have water guns."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hongbin stares at the water gun Jaehwan just pushed into his hand. It's a double-barreled, purple monstrosity that takes up more water than Hongbin thought possible. He looks at the gun in Jaehwan's hand. His is pink. Jaehwan twirls it on his finger in a pathetic imitation of a cowboy. He even mimes the horse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This is what finally breaks Hongbin. He bursts out laughing, laughing, laughing - he almost manages to calm down a few times but each look at Jaehwan (who's now taken the stance and approximate expression of a 90s pink novel protagonist) pulls him right back into a fit of breathless laughter. Jaehwan seems awfully pleased with himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What are we going to do with these?" Hongbin asks, attempting to twirl his gun the way Jaehwan does. His version doesn't look as good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What do you mean, what," Jaehwan exclaims, like the answer is obvious. "We're going to shoot couples with them, of course."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're insane," Hongbin says in awe. What's even more insane is that he's sort of okay with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehwan shrugs. "Maybe. But I'm having a lot of fun."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And to that, Hongbin has nothing to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But hey, maybe he'll get to enjoy Valentine's day for once in his life,</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their first victim is a frankly sort of boring looking, straight couple, who are walking a few paces ahead of them in the park. The girl is in a pretty white sundress which is only slightly too light for the uncharacteristically warm February weather. Her hair is braided in one of those fancy designs that go around your head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hongbin aims his water gun at her but Jaehwan grabs his wrist. “Don’t ruin the dress. Now, him...” he trails off, a wicked note in his voice. He aims his water gun at the boy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy is rather unremarkable, as far as boys go, in Hongbin’s opinion. His hair is messy, a pair of big round glasses perched on his nose.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehwan shoots.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy whips around, t-shirt now almost soaked through. He stares at Jaehwan, shock and disbelief written on his face. Jaehwan salutes him and turns on his heel. After a moment’s consideration, Hongbin shoots some water on his face too, then runs after Jaehwan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They can hear the girl failing really hard at holding her laughter behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> *</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stick to the park because, well. If you’re going to look for annoyingly lovey-dovey couples, what better place to find them than a park?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their victims include: </span>
</p><ol>
<li><span> A lesbian couple whose haircuts no longer had the cute styles they did before they had the misfortune of meeting them. (They ended up catching up to Hongbin and Jaehwan. One of the girls stole Hongbin’s water gun and drenched them both. She and Jaehwan exchanged numbers.)</span></li>
<li><span> Jung Taekwoon. Hongbin has spent the last six months living in the apartment under his and while they’re more or less friends now, Hongbin is very much sick of listening to him and his boyfriend fucking pretty much every night. He empties his water gun in Taekwoon’s face to said boyfriend’s horrified look. Jaehwan makes sure Hakyeon isn’t left out of the wet t-shirt contest. Hongbin has zero regrets.</span></li>
<li><span> Another straight couple, less fun than the first one - the guy chases them around the park, furious, until Jaehwan and Hongbin, both out of breath, hide behind an overgrown rose hip bush. Hongbin spends quite a few minutes questioning his life choices.</span></li>
<li>
<span> Kim Wonshik. This isn’t someone who Hongbin knows. When they see him, holding hands with a boy that honestly looks too big for the cute face he has, Jaehwan attempts to drag Hongbin in the opposite direction. Upon some prodding, Hongbin gets him to admit that Kim Wonshik is actually Jaehwan’s sort of maybe ex - Hongbin stops listening past the </span><em><span>We went on two dates.</span></em><span> He takes Jaehwan’s gun, stomps his way to Kim Wonshik and empties both water guns on him.</span>
</li>
<li><span> An elderly couple. Now, they aren’t exactly victims. When Hongbin first sees them they’re on one of the park’s more hidden benches, holding hands and talking amongst themselves. The lady is holding a tiny bouquet of wildflowers, tied up with a pale white ribbon.</span></li>
</ol><p>
  <span>Hongbin tentatively raises his gun. They’re just so… cute. With a sigh, he lets the hand holding the watergin fall limp by his side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehwan grins at him, grabs his other one and drags them to the couple. Hongbin’s about to protest because </span>
  <em>
    <span>no </span>
  </em>
  <span>- but Jaehwan just bows to the startled couple, dragging Hongbin down with him, then wishes them a happy Valentine’s. The lady tucks a dandelion behind each of their ears. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For some reason, Hongbin finds it hard to wipe the smile off his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun is almost gone by the time they give up on chasing innocent couples around the park. It’s getting a little cold and Hongbin shivers in his jacket. Jaehwan seems unbothered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to show you something,” he says tugging Hongbin towards the neighbourhood that spans behind the park. It’s not run down per se but the houses are smaller, older. It looks a little like a scene out of a gloomy anime. Jaehwan ducks into one of them, leaving Hongbin to wait outside, and comes back a second later, carrying… a blanket? It’s an atrocious shade of leopard print but it looks so soft, Hongbin can’t help but reach out to run his fingers through it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s then, that he remembers to ask. “Where are we going?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll see,” Jaehwan says and the glint in his eyes is like lanterns in the fading light.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Hongbin follows. Because really, what else can he do?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>*</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They end up on a stone ledge. The neighbourhood is built a little higher than the rest of the town. They can see most of the town center from there. Jaehwan throws the ugly blanket around them both and Hongbin readies himself to protest because what the hell. But then Jaehwan nudges him until his attention is elsewhere - a little to the left. There’s nothing particularly interesting there and Hongbin is about to question this when finally, the clock must have striked eight because the street lamps light up and… In that particular patch of boring, small town space, the street lamps sort of form a heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hongbin starts laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We spent the day tormenting couples and now you take me here to show me a heart,” he wheezes out, poking Jaehwan in the ribs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jaehwan pouts. “But it’s pretty. And it's dark now, there’s no one to witness us being bitter singles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hongbin raises an eyebrow. “What makes you think I’m a bitter single?” Jaehwan gives him a look and Hongbin laughs again. “Fine, fine. It really is pretty, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is pretty,” Jaehwan replies, staring out in the distance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hongbin thinks hey, this is the cheesy movie moment. They’re talking about the view but not really - except Jaehwan is very much not looking at Hongbin right now. So Hongbin does. The heart twinkles in the distance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tomorrow, he’ll be back to his boring life of a somewhat-adult. It’s such a strange thought, considering his day so far. Jaehwan moves closer, pulling the blanket tighter around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe Valentine’s Day isn’t that bad after all,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hongbin thinks absently when he finally leans in.</span>
</p>
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